The Sydney Roosters expect Luke Keary's latest concussion will only sideline him short-term.
Veteran five-eighth Keary has been ruled out of Friday night's clash against South Sydney with the head knock he suffered late in the round-two loss to Manly.
Keary's head collided with the knee of Manly fullback Tom Trbojevic and club medical staff confirmed on Monday he would be subject to an 11-day stand-down under the NRL's concussion protocols.
The sight of Keary hitting the Brookvale Oval turf on Sunday was enough to bring back unhappy memories.
The 32-year-old suffered five concussions between January 2018 and May 2019 and missed more than a month of the 2022 season after another blow to the head.
The Roosters are set to continue monitoring Keary over the coming days but expect him to return sooner rather than later this time around.
"That would be the plan if the progressions continue like they have been already," said coach Trent Robinson.
"He's been outstanding, actually, from not long after the game.
"Obviously slight concussion but I've seen 'Kez' at different times with different symptoms and he's been really good from when he walked back in the door on Monday."
Robinson did not put a strict timeframe on Keary's return to the field on Thursday, with the Roosters noted for taking a patient approach to concussion management in recent years.
Keary would need to be symptom-free to face reigning premiers Penrith next Thursday and Robinson confirmed his recent symptoms had been less severe than after previous head knocks.
"I'm not (commenting) about what the impact was but definitely the symptoms are chalk and cheese with what I've seen a few years ago," he said.
Sandon Smith will start at five-eighth for Friday night's grudge match against the Rabbitohs.
The Central Coast product has been a fixture of the Roosters' best 17 since making his NRL debut midway through 2023 and spent six weeks replacing Sam Walker at halfback last season.
Robinson said Smith, usually the Roosters' bench utility, had been given ample time training in the halves during the pre-season.
"We actually had to put him back in 14 in mid-February because we hadn't done enough training with him there. He trained all pre-season as a half," Robinson said.
"It's a good opportunity for him and I'm really confident in the experiences he's had over the last two seasons now to be ready for this."
